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A WWII veteran recalls D-Day



Jews are liberated from German concentration camps during World War II. -Northwest Newschannel 8, photo

At the age of 20, Jack Capell fought in a war that changed him, changed history, and changed an entire generation. He experienced every emotion imaginable and witnessed the unimaginable.

"A day in battle is more than most people experience in a lifetime," Mr. Capell said.

Mr. Capell was drafted as a rifleman in WWII. He tried to join the U.S. Army when he heard about the torture that Germans had inflicted on people, but he was a Canadian citizen and had to wait to be drafted. In April of 1943, the U.S. government drafted Mr. Capell.

Mr. Capell trained in North America for several months before he was sent to Devon, England, to work on a wire crew in the 4th Division of the 8th Regiment. The regiment trained weeks for a massive Allied invasion off the coast of France, on the beaches of Normandy.

Around June 4, 1944, Mr. Capell's regiment received orders to invade. "We were ready for this type of assault. We were expecting what was going to happen," Mr. Capell said.

Rain and treacherous waters forced the invasion to be called off at the last moment. From June 5 to June 6 little had changed, but the regiment was ready to go. The clouds in the sky loomed low, and the waters were still treacherous. The orders to invade were given anyway. "Germans were taken off guard due to the delay and stormy weather," Mr. Capell said.

Mr. Capell's company loaded weapons, artillery, Jeeps, and other equipment onto a landing craft. A landing craft is a boat made special for landing in shallow waters. It has a ramp that makes it easy for the soldiers to storm onto land.

The landing craft sailed for four days before it reached Utah Beach.

As Mr. Capell and his infantry moved closer to the beach, the reality of war set in. Naval ships swarmed the water. Airplanes peppered the sky. Landing crafts rushed in from every direction. The firing of bombs and other artillery got louder and louder as Mr. Capell's regiment moved closer.

Mr. Capell's mind filled with thoughts of getting hit. "My only fear was being blown up--a bomb severing my hands and legs. I thought for sure I would die; I just didn't want to be blown into pieces," Mr. Capell said.

Mr. Capell's company was one of the first to head to shore. The landing craft he rode landed in water much deeper than expected. Everyone on the landing craft waded into the water as soon as the landing craft's ramp went down.

"When the signal to go was made, the men were ready," Mr. Capell said.

Mr. Capell was to drive a Jeep onto the beach. Men swam to shore rather than wading through the water. The Jeep was only waterproof up to two feet. The Germans fired incessantly, leaving Mr. Capell only one choice--to drive the Jeep into the water. Two other men assigned to help Mr. Capell loaded the Jeep. They went into the water. The Jeep stalled as soon as it got in the water and sank.

Mr. Capell released his seat belt and fastened inflatable life belts onto the two men. Mr. Capell swam to shore, avoiding the rapid fire. When he looked back, he saw that the two men were struggling for air. The inflatable life belts were weak, and the men didn't know how to swim.

Mr. Capell jumped back into the water. Rapid fire pelted the air as he swam. He grabbed both of them, one on each arm, and brought them in.

Next Mr. Capell headed to save the Jeep. He found a rope on the beach and swam out again. He fastened the rope on the Jeep's front and held the rope as he swam in.

With the battle in full force, the men needed to find weapons. They took weapons from wounded soldiers and regained their defense. One of Mr. Capell's partners left to find their company while the other stayed to help Mr. Capell retrieve the Jeep.

A man with an amphibious vehicle called a "duck" helped them. They attached the Jeeps rope to the duck and the duck pulled the Jeep in. The Jeep, once on dry land, wouldn't start. Mr. Capell started to clear the water out of the Jeep. "We got everything ready to run except the starter; it was full of water," Mr. Capell said.

As they worked on the Jeep, the firing was intense.

"A fighter plane came down and spayed us with bullets," he said. "We jumped under the Jeep and were lucky we didn't get killed." The 5-inch bul-lets only threw sand in their faces.

"Luckily the airplane had other things to do and didn't come back to get us," Mr. Capell said.

They pushed the Jeep, and the Jeep started. By asking other soldiers, they were able to find their company.

This was the first day of 11 months of heavy fighting. Mr. Capell and his company endured 180 days of battles.

"From the time I landed, I was tired. I was forever drained," Mr. Capell said.

Because of men such as Mr. Capell and his fellow soldiers, the Germans stopped persecuting many people. Many men such as Mr. Capell have fought in wars such as WWII and endured great hardship for Americans' freedom.